


morality is a malleable thing

by firewoodfigs



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Detective AU, F/M, Mystery, Suspense, enemies to lovers??, “the deeper the hate the deeper the love”
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24333649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firewoodfigs/pseuds/firewoodfigs
Summary: Detective Riza Hawkeye finds herself facing not one, but many moral dilemmas when a certain man comes back into her life.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	morality is a malleable thing

**_antelogium_ **

Central was known for many things - its remarkable conglomeration of skyscrapers and buildings and outstanding, artistic gothic architecture reminiscent, but also its alarmingly high crime rate. The sour mix of rich and poor, income inequality permeating every dark alley sandwiched between twin towers of ivory and opulence made this inevitable, and the uncanny presence of psychopaths who killed for thrill’s sake only aggravated this. 

And this,  _ this _ was precisely the case bothering the team who’d been assigned this case. Detective Riza Hawkeye was at her wit’s end - the most recent murder mystery was giving them all a massive headache, for the victim’s body had been completely immolated, every strand of hair thoroughly singed, and every possible shred of evidence had been burnt to a crisp. 

The second, then third, cases were strikingly similar to the index offence as well, and therefore she and her team had arrived at the incontrovertible conclusion that  _ yes, a serial killer was on the loose.  _ But with the lack of evidence, they had little luck assembling any clues together for the slightest inkling as to the culprit’s identity, much less a coherent picture of his  _ modus operandi. _

Instinctively, her mind flicked to a man who she knew was capable of doing this - a man who, once upon a time, had been nothing more than a perverse pyromaniac to her, eventually becoming a man who she loathed -  passionately  so, with deep-seeded hatred burning in her veins whenever she saw him, then a man who could set her aflame with the slightest, gentlest of touches, and finally… 

A man who she hated with a scorching vengeance, and would personally incinerate if she ever met him again. 

But it couldn’t have been him - the last she heard he’d been in Xing, and the absence of any extradition treaties between the two states prevented Amestris from prosecuting him while he was abroad. 

She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even heard the lunch bell go off, until a firm hand on her back and the bright tenor of a young man broke her out of her reverie. “Time for lunch, Hawkeye. Can’t think on an empty stomach,” Inspector Havoc said as he placed an arm around her and pushed her rigid back towards the door. 

“Alright, but a quick one, and then it’s back to business, all of you,” she grumbled before following her colleagues to the quaint cafe down the murky streets for lunch. It was a bright, cheery day, and the fulgent sunshine kissing her skin would have ordinarily lifted her mood a little - a rarity she appreciated, amidst the dark, cloudy days of the monsoon season - but in spite of the lovely weather her expression was tied in a sullen glower as she thought about that man.  _ Roy Mustang.  _

Even the warmth of her afternoon coffee couldn’t quell the uncomfortable, ponderous lump that had formed in her throat. 

~x~ 

After lunch, Riza and her team had been prepared to trawl through simple administrative tasks; filing and paperwork. Apart from that case there had been no other major ones that had been assigned to them - for now, at least - and she’d welcomed the momentary reprieve with open arms. 

Unfortunately, her plans were derailed by a fateful phone call. “The police have narrowed down a possible suspect,” Sergeant Fuery said. “Black hair, black eyes, pale complexion. They’re tracking him down now - last seen at 230 Blair Street - and will bring him over as soon as possible for further investigations.”

_ It couldn’t be.  _ There were so many people with those features, and it couldn’t possibly have been him. A subtle grimace crossed Riza’s striking features, but she quickly pushed aside any anger that was traitorously begging to rise and focused on the task at hand. She would cross that bridge if they came to it - but otherwise, expending energy on overthinking frivolities like this would just be pointless. “Did they say how they narrowed down the suspect?” 

“Uh… lingering smell of smoke, people’s recounting of events -” 

“Could have been cigarettes, or perhaps he was just conveniently having a barbecue before. And we’ve never come across any direct witnesses so far, so any recounts would just be hearsay and inadmissible, no?” she mused aloud, a little taken aback herself with the sarcasm that crept into her voice. The case certainly had affected her more than she thought it would, but this was hardly professional behaviour.

“Amongst other things, ma’am. I’m not quite sure,” the younger man gulped, slightly intimidated by the change in his superior’s demeanor. She was normally scary enough to begin with, but with the scowl etched on her features… 

It was clear she was in a bad mood. A terrible one, in fact. 

“Fine. Bring him in for investigations later, then,” she said curtly before returning back to her work, exasperated that the caffeine had done nothing to alleviate the headache. 

~x~ 

In a startling bout of efficiency, they’d brought the suspect in mere hours later for investigations. She paused her monotonous scratching against parchment to look up at her subordinates, a subtly raised brow the only hint of her surprise as she glanced through the report cursorily to confirm that protocol had been followed, and there was nothing hinting towards anything that could jeopardise the admissibility or weight of his statements. The accused had been duly informed of his right to silence, and had declared that there would be no need for a lawyer to accompany him for legal advice. 

“Come with me, Inspector Havoc,” he let out a whistle as he brought his hand up for a salute. “And no, no cigarette breaks for you before we go,” already aware of the words that were going to leave his mouth before it even had a chance to. Inspector Havoc groaned at her stringency, but was silenced with a glare. 

Riza smoothed her jacket to get rid of any creases or wrinkles that might have been there, and walked assertively down the bleak hallways - steel doors decorated with bolts, and locks and chains for labyrinths, as if for added security - with her silver gun resting neatly on her hip, armoured with an impassive expression. 

Her eyes never faltered, and she refused to let any sign of weakness show even as the thought of  _ who it could be  _ flashed through her mind again. She didn’t allow herself to believe it was him - or rather, she dare not - for letting her mind wander to him was a dangerous exercise on its own, one that would be completely counterproductive and unhelpful. 

She needed something to distract herself. Something. Anything.  _ Havoc’s latest eye candy.  _ Boring, but helpful. Another busty brunette - her body resembled a bud vase with two oranges balanced on top, but that was her colleague’s taste in a nutshell: his preferences were solely based on what lay below the neckline. 

Although Havoc had claimed that this girl was  _ the one,  _ the mysterious subject that had eluded even the wisest philosophers, the person that everyone daydreamed about and continued dreaming about when night fell, he’d also said that about the previous girl, and the one before, and then the one before.

In other words, it was probably just another idle infatuation. 

But she supposed that was fine - as long as it didn’t interfere in his work. If anything, the prospect of having a date to meet after working hours only made him more efficient and focused, and so it was a good thing. 

(A good thing that she personally didn’t believe in, for she had come to learn long ago that love only worked to her disadvantage, and there was little to be had or enjoyed from a relationship.)

She shook her head as she rested an open palm on the cool, metallic hilt of her gun, as if searching for benediction and courage. She certainly didn’t need to be plagued with such thoughts right now.  _ Focus, detective.  _ Riza Hawkeye had a job to do and an accused person to interrogate, and with that she inhaled before opening the door, the rusted handle creaking ominously. 

Shock, then animosity marred her ochre eyes as she came face to face with the man she once loved, and… 

The man who killed her father. 

**Author's Note:**

> hello there!! i hope you enjoyed this - it's my first ever au, and i'd love to hear any kind of feedback ^_^  
> i think this will be one of my shorter fics because i'm working on a few others atm, but it's just a space for me to be a nerd after watching sherlock over quarantine lmao :') hope you're all safe and well during this time! 
> 
> // 
> 
> say hi on tumblr if you're there, i'm firewoodfigs ^_^


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